


Worth The Trouble(some)

by raendown



Series: Requested Works [37]
Category: Naruto
Genre: I'm tired, M/M, egregious displays of fluffy affection, explicit domesticity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-29
Updated: 2021-01-29
Packaged: 2021-03-15 11:55:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,151
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29063946
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/raendown/pseuds/raendown
Summary: Sometimes his husband can be a handful but Shikamaru would still count every moment as wonderfully worth it.
Relationships: Aburame Shino/Nara Shikamaru
Series: Requested Works [37]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1237331
Comments: 4
Kudos: 46





	Worth The Trouble(some)

**Author's Note:**

> A "Requested Work" for naanokye19 on tumblr, thank you very much! 
> 
> This is a direct sequel to [this little ficlet](https://raendown.tumblr.com/post/164948947468/hi-i-hope-my-prompt-is-alright) that I did for a Drunk Writing event. Would recommend reading that first for some context.

Shikamaru’s first thought upon entering the kitchen was that obviously his husband had exaggerated. Just a tiny bit. Very teeny. He was hardly aware of every single jutsu or seal in existence so who was he to say whether there might be some way of keeping dinner hot enough to steam after two hours had supposedly passed. Shikamaru was, however, renowned for his mental acuity; he knew better than to point out the inconsistencies of his husband’s declarations now while he was still high on his own need for drama. 

“This all looks very good,” he murmured instead. Shino stopped in front of him and Shikamaru easily took advantage of the pause to move close enough for a light kiss on the cheek. “Thank you for cooking dinner.”

“Your praise is appreciated, though unnecessary.”

“Don’t be like that.” Shikamaru grinned as he leaned in for another buss on the cheek but louder this time, deliberately making a smacking sound with his lip just to watch the other man wrinkle his nose in distaste. 

Judging from the looks of the room he could tell Shino had put a little extra effort in to dinner tonight, very likely the reason behind his huffiness at the prospect of having such labors go ignored. One thin tapered candle stood tall in the middle of the table, the base surrounded with several dishes in a visually pleasing array. Not many would peg Shino for one to pay attention to this sort of thing but his eye for even the smallest details was one of the first things Shikamaru had fallen in love with. The fact that he typically didn’t toot his own horn about it had been the second.

Not, of course, that he loved the man any less on nights like these when the lure of dramatic emotions overtook the usual balance of a calm, collected partnership. If anything Shikamaru knew that these nights helped him to stay on his toes. A relationship where every day was the same old routine would do nothing but bore him. 

“Looks like you worked really hard on a nice evening together,” he pointed out for no reason other than to let his partner know that he’d noticed. “All for a lazy schmuck who accidentally ignores you. For two whole hours even. What can I possibly do to make it up to you?” 

“Eat,” Shino grumbled shortly. His face, bare of the visor that hid him away from the rest of the world, looked caught between smug for having his efforts noticed and irritated for being called out on his very obvious lie. After what appeared to be some very serious thought he eventually settled in to the same contented expression that followed every one of his bouts of drama, the high that came after realizing that someone loved him no matter how ridiculous he acted. Shikamaru saw no reason to disabuse him of that notion. It was true, after all. 

Dinner turned out to be as delicious as it looked, not too bad considering they had both once agreed that after making sure a meal was nutritious the actual taste of it didn’t matter half as much as Choji would have them believe. They were shinobi. They didn’t require tasty meals to function on the battlefield. Lucky for them both Shino had gotten utterly bored one evening while Shikamaru was working late at the tower and somehow ended up reading several cookbooks. That one evening had single handedly saved both of their taste buds. 

When they were finished eating Shino stood to clear away the dishes and Shikamaru frowned. His eyes tracked the other’s movements until he stopped by the sink to begin running water. Unacceptable, he decided. The one who cooked shouldn’t have to clean up as well, that was something he’d learned from watching his own parents. 

On silent feet he rose to pad across the kitchen. Although he didn’t make any noise there was no doubt Shino knew he was coming; if all other senses failed him his bugs were always around to whisper the world’s secrets in his ears, something that had taken a while to get used to after the two of them finally moved in together. Shikamaru was glad of it now for preventing any startled jumpiness when he wound both arms around his partner’s waist and hooked his chin over one shoulder. 

“Just what do you think you’re doing?” he mumbled. Shino’s hands paused in testing the water’s temperature, head tilting to one side in thought. 

“I am filling the sink. Because that is necessary to do the dishes.”

“Yeah that much I guessed,” Shikamaru said with a little smile. “I meant why are you doing the dishes? That should be my job tonight.”

Shino turned his head just far enough to blink over one shoulder with a lofty expression. “You seemed to be quite busy early. I would be a poor husband indeed if I did not support you in any way I can.”

Ah, apparently he hadn’t entirely given up on these shenanigans. A little troublesome but that was fine. Shikamaru reached forward to shut the water off and then stepped back, gently turning the other towards him where he could cup that beloved face between his palms. When he leaned in Shino met him as easily as the first time. Their kiss lingered, slow and unhurried, but when it was over Shikamaru could do nothing to hide the way his breaths were suddenly hurried and short. 

“One night of leaving the dishes won’t kill us,” he said. “Why don’t you leave that and I’ll do them in the morning? I’ve got, ah, something else in mind to fill the rest of our evening.”

“Would that something happen to have anything to do with the bedroom?” Shino asked. What a shrewd man.

“Could be the couch if you prefer.”

“No, I- ahem.” Pausing to clear his throat, Shino looked away as if that would hide the rising flush of interest blossoming across his cheeks. “The bedroom works fine for me. Why? Because I find pillows to be much more comfortable than the arm of the couch.”

Shikamaru laughed and began walking backwards with the other still trapped in his embrace. “You know I love you, right?” 

He was unprepared for the serious look in those dark eyes so very few people had ever been given the honor of seeing this close. When Shino reached up to touch his cheek it shook something deep inside of him that he hoped would never come unshaken again. 

“And I love you as well.” 

Shikamaru breathed deeply before pulling his husband in for another kiss. If Shino said it then it must be true. Maybe -  _ maybe _ \- he should have listened to his father all those years ago when he said that marriage was troublesome, yes, but worth it. Oh so very worth it. 


End file.
